Chapter 32: Love and Peace (1)

“Step away from her immediately, Han Byeolhwa.”

There was fury in Hojoon’s voice.

It was an overwhelming anger he had never once directed toward Han Byeolhwa before.

Hojoon, who always maintained his composure, now appeared genuinely agitated.

…Hojoon had always treated her with utter indifference.

A cold, thorough apathy.

This was the first time he had displayed such violent emotion.

Was he upset seeing her clinging to Ianna?

Or—

Was he desperately worried that she, having now realized everything, might free Ianna, who had suffered for years as Hojoon’s s*ave?

Han Byeolhwa leaned toward the latter.

Hojoon’s violent reaction made everything clear beyond doubt.

“…No.”

“This is your final warning.

If you so much as harm the Director, I will make your death the most painful imaginable, Byeolhwa.”

Harm her?

That would never happen.

How could she, when she thought so dearly of Ianna, when she cherished her so deeply?

What kind of affection had she received from Ianna?

Ianna had thought of her specially and cared for her deeply.

She had given Han Byeolhwa the love and attention that the trash unworthy of being called ‘father’ should have given — and more.

It was Ianna, not Hojoon, who had played that role for her.

Only Ianna had reached out to her first, had looked at her without prejudice, had taught her the meaning of a human heart, and the value of life.

The one who deserved to have Ianna was not Hojoon, but herself.

Even now, Ianna was in her arms.

Strictly speaking, it was Byeolmuri who was hugging Ianna tightly, but in Byeolmuri’s mind, it was Ianna who had chosen to be held by her.

And now Hojoon was trying to drive a wedge between them.

A misangche.

An enemy.

Ianna’s current state was abnormal.

It had to be Hojoon and the Bureau who had turned her into this.

Byeolmuri’s chest pounded violently. Her inner compass was pointing straight at Hojoon.

It had been Hojoon all along.

He had used Ianna for countless atrocities.

He had forced her to betray her fellow magical girls.

He had cut off her legs and tortured her into this broken state.

It was all Hojoon.

There was no more bond between father and daughter.

It didn’t matter anymore how he had controlled or threatened Ianna.

From this moment on.

Everything would end.

Byeolmuri had always had a slightly fantastical side.

She was emotionally sensitive.

She gave meaning to everything, expanding and digging deeper with her sharp instincts.

It was a slight character flaw that came from always being alone.

And now, she thought:

Hojoon was the embodiment of revolting wickedness.

A man unworthy of being called human — disgusting and loathsome.

A man who, for some unknown reason, had driven countless comrades to their deaths.

Always staying safely in the rear while forcing the magical girls to die on the frontlines.

With all this swirling in her mind—

She no longer hesitated.

“Manifest.”

Around Byeolmuri’s chest, space distorted slightly.

The dimension split apart.

From the darkness, her Lemegeton revealed itself, beginning with its hilt.

Dark static crackled around Byeolmuri.

“I will consider this treason.”

Hojoon, veins bulging on his neck, threw off his gloves and shouted.

The situation was explosive.

Behind Hojoon, a large number of magical girls in robes were gathered.

The moment anyone moved, a deadly battle would erupt.

It would be a massacre between magical girls, and either the father or the daughter — perhaps both — would not survive.

Han Byeolhwa was more serious than ever.

She couldn’t stand idly by anymore.

It was a battle between injustice and justice.

A battle between her father, plotting wicked schemes, and herself, carrying the lives of comrades like Ianna on her back.

But.

If—

If they fought here, in this narrow hallway—

Would it be possible to fight while worrying about Ianna?

Hojoon — that man — if he couldn’t possess Ianna, he would surely choose to kill her instead.

He was more than capable of such cruelty.

There was no way he would spare her in the chaos.

Ianna’s existence—

That was Byeolmuri’s tiny moment of hesitation.

She didn’t care what happened to herself, but Ianna…

She wanted Ianna to live freely.

She wanted her to greet tomorrow with a smiling face.

Or, if that wasn’t possible—

To at least be “freed.”

And then—

While Han Byeolhwa was hesitating—

“…Byeolhwa.”

Ianna, with a calm expression, looked up at her and spoke softly.

“Calm down.”

The gentle, warm voice immediately soothed Byeolmuri’s agitated heart.

It was a voice that brought relief.

“There’s no need to fight. Could you lift me up?”

“…Yes.”

Timidly, Byeolmuri picked up Ianna, hugging her from behind like holding a precious doll, and turned their faces toward Hojoon.

What Ianna was thinking, she could not know.

Maybe—

Maybe Ianna was going to loudly condemn Hojoon for all the unspeakable things he had done to her.

She looked forward to it.

Curious about what kind of nonsense Hojoon would spew, how he would try to block their path.

“…Director.”

Seeing Ianna’s serene face, Hojoon spoke with a faint look of puzzlement.

Because Ianna had always been trembling in fear.

She couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

She constantly looked around anxiously.

But now—

That anxiety was gone.

Instead, she looked utterly peaceful, as if she felt no emotions at all, smiling serenely as she gazed at him.

“It’s been a while… Hojoon.”

“…Has it?”

A while?

He couldn’t understand.

What was Ianna trying to say?

And—

As Hojoon stared at her, Ianna gave a faint smile.

“…You haven’t changed, Hojoon.”

“I have always remained the same.”

Ianna’s smile—

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

Back when Hojoon was young, Ianna — in her current, mature body — had once shown him that same smile.

Like—

Like a waning moon glowing softly in the black sky.

‘…No way.’

Hojoon’s gaze swept over the scene.

Scattered bottles of sedatives, syringes, the unconscious aide, the clear needle marks on Ianna’s pale neck.

And Hojoon, roughly piecing together the situation, let a slight smile creep onto his lips.

“Hojoon, please. Don’t issue any orders. I can… resolve everything.”

“…That remains to be seen.”

The magical girls guarding Hojoon closely—

As they began to step forward, Ianna instinctively tensed.

With each movement, eerie metallic scraping sounds echoed from under their heavy robes.

A red gleam kept leaking from under their hoods.

All ten of them.

Ianna, having seen the future, knew exactly what they were.

Artificial girls, developed to hunt the Great Magical Girls.

Created with the Bureau’s finest minds, enormous funding, and recycled from heavily injured artificial girls.

Death.

Byeolmuri wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

They had no will, no ego, no emotions — just pure weapons, obeying orders until the moment they expired.

If Hojoon uttered a single word—

They would reveal their true forms and tear Byeolmuri apart, leaving not even a scrap behind.

Their primary materials were lifeforms — including humans.

Right now, Ianna was dead serious.

Sadness at how her former comrades had been reduced to tools, disillusionment with the Bureau, the urge to protect the innocent — all these feelings coalesced into the path she must take.

But—

“I’ll give you a final warning. Hand over the Director.”

“I will never hand her over, you murderer! After what you’ve done to her…! I will never forgive you…!”

The situation was spiraling into catastrophe.

Hojoon knew better than anyone the madness that infected magical girls.

Whether artificial girls or 12 seats — none could escape madness.

Unless—

There was no “self”.

Magical girls without ego, without desires, did not succumb to madness.

Han Byeolhwa.

By Hojoon’s judgment, she was closer to madness than any magical girl he had ever encountered.

No matter the reason, she had lost control and was trying to harm Ianna.

Greater good over personal ties.

Hojoon was a man who would even destroy his own family for the greater cause.

Byeolmuri was extremely dangerous.

If she so much as lifted a finger against Ianna, everything would be ruined.

Decades of work would be for nothing.

Hojoon wanted to protect his plans — to stop Byeolmuri.

Byeolmuri, even if it cost her life, wanted to free Ianna — she could not watch her live as the Bureau’s puppet.

Even if—

She couldn’t win.

She would “free” Ianna.

From the prison that was her flesh.

As the confrontation reached a breaking point, Ianna thought calmly about where this misunderstanding had begun.

From what she knew, Hojoon had once dearly cherished Byeolhwa when she was a child.

He had even carried her on his back.

He didn’t hate Byeolhwa.

But at some point, his attitude had shifted to cold indifference.

The reason was unknown — Ianna had too many other responsibilities to investigate their family history.

One thing was clear.

They were blood relatives.

No matter what anyone said, Han Byeolhwa was Hojoon’s biological daughter.

Ianna understood.

She understood who Hojoon was.

What connection he had to her.

Where he went wrong.

How he ended up here.

She even knew—

How he would die.

Among everyone here, Ianna was the clearest-headed.

Thus—

She wanted to prevent a bloodbath.

A tragedy where a father kills his daughter, and a daughter kills her father.

Such horrors happen only when misunderstandings pile up beyond repair.

It was cruel fate.

Family — the ones who should be the closest — committing such atrocities.

It could not be justified.

It could not be accepted.

Han Byeolhwa was also her family.

Ianna treated all magical girls as her family.

She saw them as irreplaceable, like stars shining high in the night sky.

Therefore, even if it cost her life, she could not allow it.

…However—

Time was running out.

Ianna’s chest heaved violently.

The stimulant-like sedative was flooding her body with surging energy.

She was beginning to suffocate.

Ianna clutched her chest unconsciously.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

She instinctively realized something was wrong, but did not show it outwardly.

Sweat streamed down her face — she ignored it.

Standing brightly between the two, she kept smiling, trying to resolve their misunderstanding.

Because—

She was the magical girl of the waning moon.

No matter what fate awaited her.